Hydrant valve



W. F. HOELZER HYDRANT VALVE Nov. 9, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 24. 1951 INVENTOR. WlLLlAM F. HoeLzER BY Y /M @MX 4,dit

Nov. 9, 1954 Filed Aug. 24, 1951 w. F. HoELzER 2,693,816

HYDRANT VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mms/101m Wl-LL'IAM F`. HoeLzeR AT1-annex Nov. 9, 1954 w.' F. HoELzER HYDRANT VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 24, 1951 l INVENTOR.

WILUAM F. HoELzER A-r-roRNe-.Y

United States VPatent r HYDRANT VALVE William F. Hoelzer, Milwaukee, Wis., assign'or' to Milwaukee Valve Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin This invention relates to an improved hydrant valve of the type adapted to be placed in the ground with the top of the valve ush with the surface. vSuch valves are commonly called flush type4 hydrant valves.

Gne of the objects of this invention-is to provide a ush type hydrant valve which cannot-be opened inadvertently by stepping on the valve. Prior art valves of this type frequently were subject to such an objection.

Another object is to provide a hydrant valve incorporating safeguards against improper operation.

Still another object is to provide a hydrant valve capable of safely dispensing high octane fuels at a great rate. A further object is to provide a ush type hydrant valve which may be completely serviced from above without removal of the unit from the ground.

A further object is to provide a hydrant valve in which the valve actuator is contained in the valve housing rather than being a part of the hose vcoupling as in the prior art. In such prior art valve arrangements the lhose coupling incorporating the valve actuator is so heavy as to be very cumbersome..

Still another object is to mitting of high precision.

Another object is to provide a hydrant valve which can handle liquids under great pressure without leaking and may be opened readily against such pressure.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in,

or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing the coupler enterg the valve coupling and also showing in full and dotted lines the handle for turning the valve actuating spirdle and the handle connected to the spindle, respective y;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1 with the parts coupled;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the bleed valve open;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the manner of mounting the hydrant valve in the ground; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of Fig. 6.

The hydrant valve 10 shown in Figs. l and 2 is adapted to be mounted in a cast iron housing 11 which is set in concrete or the like 12 as shown in Fig. 6. The housing includes a hinged top 13 which keeps the valve dry and protects the valve when not in use. The valve is threadably coupled to supply conduit 14 and is designed to deliver liquid fuel to a hose through check valve 15 when the check valve is coupled to the top of the hydrant valve as shown in Fig. 2.

The hydrant includes a main valve 16 and a bleed valve 17 which is adapted to open before the main valve. The main valve is guided in ribbed sleeve 18 mounted on the top of body 19 between the body and top plate 20. The upper surface of plate 20 mounts O-ring 21 and serves as a seat for the check valve body while the underside of the plate seats main valve 16. The top plate and guide sleeve, it will be noted, are held in place by a plurality of bolts 22 which are accessible from above, thus affording easy access to the valve interior.

The main valve 16 includes a seat disc 23 sandwiched between upper and lower members 24, 25, respectively, retained in assembled position by ringv 26 integral with provide a rugged valve percage 27, threaded'to the depending skirt of the upper member. The lower valve member has a depending skirt which is adapted to slide within guide 18 as the valve moves. The upper member is centrally apertured and acts as a seat for vbleed valve `17 which is'similar to the main valve in constructionin that its seat disc is sandwiched between upper and lower :parts 28, 29 and the lower part is provided with a depending skirt which is guided by the skirt on the upper member 24 of the main valve. 1

Both valves are operated by .stem 30 slidably mounted inthe hole in the lower portion of guide 18. Eachvalve is connected to the stem by a lost motion connection. Thus the upper end of stem 30 is threadably connected to sleeve 31 provided with opposed longitudinal slots which receive the ends of pin 32 carried by the lower bleed valve part. The lost motion thus gained insures proper seating of the bleed valve. Cage 27, carrying the main valve, slidably engages `stern `30 and movement between the limits determined by stern sleeve 31 and stern shoulder 33. Therefore, when both valves are closed (Fig. l) and stem 30 moves down the slack inthe connection is taken up rst t0 start the bleed valve open (Fig. 4). At this moment liquid ows through ports 34 in the main 4valve skirt and ports 35 in the bleed valve skirt. As stem 30 moves down further in the slack in the main valve connection is taken up and the main valve opens (Fig. 2). The provision of the bleed valve insures proper valve balance to facilitate valve opening. Even though the main valve is opened fully to blank off ports 34 in the skirt depending from the main valve (as shown Vin Fig. 2), pressure may still act back of each valve to make the valves controllable under. high pressure.

The lower end of stem 30 `is pinned to a slotted member 36 which receives one end of lever 37: fulcrnmmed on bolt 38. The otherend'of thelever isxslottedvtnengage pin 39 carried by the bifurcated end of sleeve 40 which is threaded on the lower threaded portion 41 of double-threaded spindle 42. Spindle 42 also has an upper threaded portion 43 which engages threaded sleeve 44 fixed in the valve body. Construction of this general type is common in gate valves to obtain fast opening. When the spindle is turned the upper threaded portion 43 rises a given distance and the left-hand end of the lever 37 is raised twice that distance. This, coupled with high pitch irreversible threads, results in a rapid opening valve.

Spindle 42 is brought through the valve body for actuation by means of socket wrench 45 which ts over the square head of the spindle. The wrench is provided with a pear shaped lug 46 which must mate with the cooperating aperture 47 in lock plate 48 in order to connect the wrench to or take it from the spindle. Since the spindle opens the valve in 1% of a turn, it will be appreciated that the wrench cannot be withdrawn without closing the valve. This feature, coupled with the fact that the check valve cannot be uncoupled from the hydrant until the wrench is withdrawn, prevents un coupling the check valve unless the hydrant valve is closed. This is, of course, of considerable importance from the standpoint of safety in operation.

The interlocking action of the check valve coupling and the wrench is effected in the following manner. Hand wheel 49 includes an annular portion 50 rotatably mounted on the check valve body and having bayonet lugs 51 projecting laterally therefrom to pass through cooperating slots 52 in the hydrant valve and to lock the valves together when the hand wheel is turned. It will be noted that the three hand wheel spokes 53 overlie the three lugs and the slots are so located that one slot is adjacent the spindle. Therefore, when coupling or uncoupling the check valve one spoke must overlie the spindle. If the wrench were still connected to the spindle, rotation of the hand wheel to this position would be prevented. Therefore the hydrant valve must be closed to remove the wrench to allow the check valve to be removed. Similarly, if the check valve coupler is placed on the hydrant valve without actually elfecting the coupling, access lto the spindle to open the valve is prevented. It is possible to operate the spindle without the check valve being connected at all, but such action is so foolhardy it is assumed voperators will have more sense.

It will be noted that the check valve comprises a sirn ple valve guided by guides 54 and urged lto its seat by spring 55 vcompressed `between Athe valve and web 56. When the bleed valve 17 is cracked open (Fig. 4) the check valve opens partly and when the main valve opens (Fig. 2) the check valve opens further for full dow. As the main and bleed valves close with the aid of springs 57, 58, respectively, the check valve will close to permit uncoupling the valves. The check valve is provided with a spring loaded ball check valve to open when the pressure in the hose gets too high V(as when the hose is lying in the sun).

Since removal of bolts 22 permits removal of plate 2.0, guide 18 Vand both valves with little effort, it will be appreciated that the valve may be serviced feasily. The lever may be removed by removing nut 38 and the spindle may be `removed by removing the ring mount through which the spindle projects.

The main valve, when closed, Ais held shut by the irreversible spindle threading. The bleed valve yis biased shut so .it may possibly be lopened by `external force, but this is unlikely since the area of the bleed valve is very small, and persons stepping on :the valve face will not open the valve as could happen with .prior valves.

The present valve has been designed to handle high octane gasoline with complete safely while delivering at very high rates made desirable by the huge aircraft of today. Fueling such craft by former methods would take hours while the present valve can deliver the fuel in a matter of minutes. These valves are especially designed to be mounted in a concrete apron at an airfield where aircraft may be brought to the valves for direct fueling through hoses (as distinct from tank-truck fueling). When not in use the valve does not interfere with the surface use of the apron and is completely .protected by the cover on the housing.

While I have described this valve in great detail it will be' appreciated that changes are possible without departing lfrom the spirit of the invention, or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. Fuel dispensing apparatus comprising, a hydrant valve body having an outlet, a valve mounted in the body for movement to and frornthe outlet to control ow therethrough, an operating spindle mounted in the body and projecting therefrom at a point laterally oiset from the outlet, a check Valve body adapted for connection to said hydrant body, mating cooperating coupling parts on said bodies for connecting the two together when one part is rotated relative to the other part, the check valve coupling part being rotatable by means of a hand wheel connected thereto by means of spokes, said parts being so designed as to require that one of the spokes overlies said spindle and prevents access thereto when the parts are at the start of a coupling movement or at the end of an uncoupling movement, said spindle being exposed for access when theparts are coupled.

2. Apparatus according to claim l Vincluding an apertured lock plate overlying the top of said spindle 4with the plate aperture aligned with the spindle, said .aperture being of irregular shape and adapted to cooperate with a socket Wrench of irregular external configuration to prevent removal of the wrench except when the hydrant valve is closed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 612,898 Feinstein Oct. 25, 1898 1,126,431 Emerson Jan. 26, 1915 1,590,171 Spinnler June 22, 1926 1,998,913 Wheaton Apr. 23, 1935 2,128,627 Vogt Aug. 30, 1938 2,462,512 Krone Feb. 22, .1949 2,630,137 Krone Mar. 3, 1.953 

